


Road Trip

by thorkified



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Jealousy, M/M, Mutual Pining, Road Trips, accidental love confession
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-18
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2019-07-13 21:11:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16026056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thorkified/pseuds/thorkified
Summary: The day Thor went off to college, he and his brother got into a huge fight and for over a year neither of them really managed to break through the awkwardness between them. During the summer, Thor takes Loki on a road trip, but it soon turns out there is more that Thor has in mind than just spend some time alone with Loki.





	Road Trip

They hadn’t seen each other much since Thor moved to college because Loki was still stuck in high school, which wasn’t something Loki enjoyed at all. It didn’t help much that they had parted rather awkwardly after Thor’s prom, which had ended with Loki throwing a huge fit when his brother had kissed his then-girlfriend Jane. They had argued and eventually told each other to get fucked before Thor drove off furiously. Their meetings since then had been stiff and quiet, without them talking much, and felt awful and forced. 

So, when Thor proposed the idea of a road trip after a few days into their summer break, Loki had been more than surprised. Just them on the road for days, possibly weeks? It sounded like a recipe for disaster after everything that had happened, but Loki was still intrigued by the idea of spending time with his brother alone. Maybe they could find back together somehow, that would be nice. He really missed Thor since he was away so much.

A few days later, the brothers said goodbye to their parents and headed west for what would hopefully not end in a fight or worse. Loki was nervous, especially since Thor hadn’t talked much to him since he came up with the idea, but the excitement was still undeniable. The first hour they just drove in complete silence, just the wind and music in their ears and the road in front of them.

From time to time, Loki glanced over at Thor, who drove with one hand on the wheel and one out of the window, his skin almost glowing in the sun and making his long blond hair look like it was made of gold. Loki realized painfully that he had almost forgotten why their fight during Thor’s prom broke out in the first place, but seeing his brother like this now brought all of it back and with it, all the embarrassment he had tried to hide. Suddenly, being alone with Thor felt more dooming than exciting and he forced his eyes back on the road, if only to not dive deeper into the rabbit hole that their past was.

Metallica was blasting in their ears when Loki’s head suddenly jerked up at the sound of Thor’s voice. “What?” he gasped. Thor patiently turned the volume of the music down before looking at him.

“I said: I missed spending time with you.”

“Y-yeah,” Loki stammered, trying not to look into Thor’s eyes for more than a few seconds. “I missed that too…”

Thor stayed silent for a few minutes, fingers gently tapping on the wheel. When he spoke again, this time without looking at Loki.

“I know you probably don’t wanna talk about this, but…”

“Thor, stop,” Loki interrupted him, sighing slowly. “I know what you’ll say and I’m sorry, okay? I flipped, I snapped, call it whatever. I was a dick and ruined your date, you don’t have to remind me of that.”

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Thor said, shaking his head. “I got mad for no reason, that was dumb as hell. I didn’t even like her, she was just the only one who wanted to go with me, that’s all.” Loki muttered something under his breath, turning his head. “What? I didn’t hear that.”

“I said: you could have gone alone or with a friend instead,” Loki huffed, leaving out most of what he actually said to not embarrass himself any further. “Look, I don’t wanna talk about it. If you suggested this trip to mock me or to bring back shit I did, do me a favor and just stop at the next gas station and let me leave. I’ll get back home somehow.”

“Loki…”

“No, this isn’t fun, okay?” Loki snarled, glaring at his brother. “Do you know how shitty I felt for snapping at you like that? Do you know how awful it was to see you leave after those horrible things I said? I don’t want that, I don’t need it! It’s hard enough to be alone now, without even talking to you anymore, I don’t need to be reminded that I fucked it up myself.”

Loki turned his head back to look out of the window, knowing that he had just made everything between them ten times worse. Of course he didn’t think Thor just wanted to mock him, his brother probably just wanted to have a good time, and he had to ruin it again.

“I don’t try to mock you, Loki,” Thor finally said after what felt like hours of tense silence between them, his voice sad and resigned. “I’m trying to say that I’m sorry, that’s all.”

“Sorry?” Loki raised a brow, peeking over his shoulder. “For what?”

“For the things I said to you and for… just leaving like that,” Thor sighed. “I was an idiot, okay, a huge, dense idiot. I hate college, I hate being away from home and only seeing you for a few days every now and then. It doesn’t feel right.”

“You could have called me at least, you know,” Loki huffed, leaning his head against the window. “Just to say hi or whatever. It’s like I don’t exist anymore in your life.”

“But you do, Loki, you always do,” Thor said and suddenly laid a hand on Loki’s thigh, squeezing it slightly. “I count the days until I will see you again, even the hours sometimes.”

“You do?” Loki asked, looking at his brother hopefully.

“Every day,” Thor assured him. “I thought we could just… leave that shit behind. Start again, just you and me.”

“With a road trip?” Loki couldn’t suppress a smirk at the idea. That was so typical for Thor, it couldn’t be anything but the truth. Thor shrugged and took his hand away to switch lanes.

“I don’t wanna go back without fixing things,” he said quietly, almost thoughtful. “Maybe it’s dumb, but I had a lot of time to think and… I realized I don’t wanna leave again if it means things will go on the way they are now.”

“What are you talking about?” Loki didn’t understand the sudden seriousness in his brother’s voice. This wasn’t something he was used to from him, not at all.

“I talked to Volstagg, he promised me a job in his bike shop. It’s nothing big, but it will be enough for the time being. I know how to work with my hands, I helped out there before and he always needs someone who doesn’t mind getting dirty. And he promised I can repair my old Harley in my free time, so I said yes.”

“Thor, what are you implying…?”

“I’ll drop out,” Thor nodded, leaving his brother completely speechless.

Loki had expected anything, but not this. Thor, his brother, the sunshine and light of their parent’s life, their pride and joy, wanted to drop out of college. Loki still remembered how happy they had been when Thor got accepted, how much their mother had cried and how their father had patted his back. This very brother wanted to drop everything to work at a bike shop, undoubtedly breaking their hearts like nothing else ever could. Loki didn’t know what to say about that.

After a few minutes of trying to process the bomb Thor just dropped, Loki finally shook his head. No, this couldn’t be. Thor was making a joke, there was no other way.

“You can’t be serious,” he scoffed, shaking his head once more. “You gotta be kidding me! Either that, or you’re going insane.”

“You think I’m joking?” Thor asked and reached over to open the glove department. “There, prove yourself wrong.”

Loki didn’t know what to say when Thor handed him a sheet of paper and he began reading it. He kept looking up at his brother and at the paper again, in no way able to understand.

“What  _ is  _ this?”

“You still don’t get it, do you?” Thor asked, looking at his completely dumbfounded brother. “I won’t go back, I’m done. That lease is for a small apartment and Volstagg already gave me the contract for the job, I’ll stay here and screw college.”

“But… why?” Loki was stunned. Thor always seemed to be the good and perfect son, the one who was destined to aim high and be successful, and now he wanted to throw all his opportunities away to repair bikes? It made no sense. “Mom and dad will kill you!”

“And I should care why, exactly?” Thor asked with a shrug. “Loki, this isn’t something I decided in the heat of the moment. I want to be near you, not hours away without any chance to see you.”

“You’re… you’re dropping out… for  _ me _ ?”

“No, I’m dropping out for  _ us _ .” Thor reaches over with his hand again, but this time he takes one of Loki’s instead of just his brother’s thigh, holding it tightly. “I know why you snapped at me, Loki. I know and it won’t let me sleep ever since. I thought I could run away from it, pretend this was just something that will go away, but it won’t. I can’t live without you, it’s just not possible. I don’t care what I have to throw away, if only it means I can be near you.”

“Thor, I…” Loki’s voice died in his throat and he swallows hard before looking up at his brother. He remembered what he said before Thor left for college, every single word, including the confession that he thought Thor had forgotten a long time ago. But he didn’t forget, just like Loki didn’t.

“They’ll be mad at me and they’ll yell, but I will be able to be with you. That’s worth all of it,” Thor smiled, squeezing his brother’s hand gently. “You look like you’d rather have me leave again.”

“No…” Loki mumbled, shaking his head slowly. “No, I don’t want you to leave… I’m just… shocked, I guess.”

“Because you thought I wouldn’t care?” Thor asked, earning a small nod. “Did you think I’m mad at you?”

“You’d have every right to be,” Loki mumbled. “I almost jumped your throat because you kissed your girlfriend, then I snapped even more and threw shit at you like a jealous side chick getting dumped. That’s a good reason to be mad.”

“You also yelled that you’ll find someone else to love if all I wanna do is fuck ugly girls and get drunk, I think.”

“God, don’t say it like that!” Loki cringed at the thought of how awful those words truly were. “I was angry, okay.”

“So was I, otherwise I would have stopped to think,” Thor sighed. “But I had time to think in college and I realized I made a huge mistake by leaving.”

“You didn’t,” Loki said and shook his head. He covered Thor’s hand with his free one hesitantly. “I was dumb and you had to leave, it was better this way.”

“That doesn’t change that I regret it,” Thor assured Loki, suddenly pulling his hand away and putting it on the wheel. Loki watched as he switched lanes and drove off the highway, slightly confused but staying silent. After a few minutes, Thor parked at a gas station, but he didn’t get out of the car. He just sat there, hands on the wheel, looking outside.

“Thor, are you alright?” Loki asked worried, reaching out for his brother’s shoulder.

“Loki, be honest with me. Brutally honest. Did you mean what you said before I left?” Thor wanted to know, turning his head. “Did it mean what I think it meant?”

“I… yes,” Loki sighed, dropping his head. “I didn’t want to say it, it just happened.”

“Do you still feel this way?”

“I do,” Loki nodded. “I never stopped feeling like that. I… I couldn’t say anything, I’m sorry… that day it just broke out because I was so angry and… and jealous.”

“Good, then I’m not making a fool of myself now,” Thor said, slapping the wheel for a moment before reaching into his pocket and bringing forth a small, black box. His face was determined and stern when he handed it to Loki, who just took it without even thinking about looking inside.

“What are you doing?” Loki asked baffled.

“I want to be with you, Loki,” Thor said slowly, obviously fighting for the words to come out. “I know it’s just a symbol, it can’t be anything else, but I want you to have it.”

Loki frowned and finally opened the small box, revealing a slim, simple ring inside of it. It was silver with a black line in the middle that looked like onyx. His mouth suddenly felt very dry and his heartbeat was uncomfortably loud in his ears.

“Thor, what…”

“Be with me, Loki,” Thor said, covering the box and Loki’s hand with his own, making his brother look up. “I don’t want anyone else, I only want you. I don’t care what anyone says, I just want you to be mine. I love you, I tried to deny it and to run away, but I can’t. I need you, more than I ever needed anyone else.”

“And you… you think that… that  _ this  _ is the right place to tell me...” Loki scoffed, angrily wiping the tears away that escaped his eyes without his consent. “That a gas station in wherever the hell we  _ are  _ is the place to do it… you… you couldn’t even come up with something… something special for this moment...”

“Is that a yes?” Thor asked awkwardly, making Loki laugh with more tears running down his face.

“Yes, you dumb moron!” he growled, punching his brother straight in the chest. “You are such a dense idiot, really! How dare you do this to me? How dare you make me cry like a dumb kid with something so stupidly cute?”

Thor laughed too, pulling Loki into his arms before pressing a sweet and long overdue kiss on his lips. Loki could barely stop laughing, even if this was the worst situation for it, it was all he could do to not go insane at the absurdity of this all. Thor cupped his face, showering his lips with more kisses that felt like a long desired salvation before Loki finally managed to calm down.

“Say it again or I will punch you in your stupid face,” Loki growled, stealing another kiss while clutching the small box as if his life depended on it. Thor laughed happily, a rumbling coming from deep inside his chest that made Loki’s heart jump.

“I love you, brother. I love you and only you and I will say it for the rest of my life.”

“You better, you dense oaf,” Loki chuckled, finally pushing Thor back. “Now, where is my ring and why aren't you on your knees? Do you even mean it or are you just making fun of me?”

“A ring I have for you,” Thor smiled, taking the box from his brother's hands. He carefully took the silver ring out, sliding it on Loki's finger. “I can't get on my knees, but I meant every word I said. I love you, Loki, and I want to be with you for every single day to come.”

“I love you too, Thor,” Loki whispered, his eyes glued to the beautiful ring on his hand as he entwined his fingers with his brother's. “It was hell without you and I don't ever want you to leave again.”

“I won't, I promise. I'll never leave you alone again.”

“But what about college?” Loki asked, unable to hide the worry in his eyes when he looked up. “Do you really want to stay here and throw your chance away like that?”

“Loki,  _ you _ are my chance, why would I need another?” Thor laughed, kissing Loki's nose with a smile. “I don't care for college, as long as I can be with you I have all I need.”

“You are awful, brother,” Loki smirked, a warmth in his chest that had been gone ever since their big fight. “But you are all I need too and I'm glad you won't leave again.”


End file.
